EBU and FILA Sign a New 2013 – 2016 Media Rights Agreement

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The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Fédération Internationale des Luttes Associées (FILA) have signed a new media rights agreement covering all FILA World and European Wrestling Championships from 2013 to 2016 inclusive.

The new contract covers media rights in Europe for seven championships: four European and three Worlds (there will be no World Championships in 2016 owing to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games), with men's and women's Greco-Roman and Freestyle disciplines contested at each event.

It makes the EBU the worldwide distribution partner for all FILA events on different platforms, inside and outside of Europe. The EBU will also assist FILA in media rights sales.

FILA and the EBU have enjoyed a close partnership since 1988, but this latest deal will extend that shared history to 28 years.

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FILA President Raphael Martinetti said: "We are pleased to continue our excellent partnership with the EBU, the strongest media consortium in Europe. This gives a unique possibility for Greco-Roman and Freestyle Wrestling to grow into new markets and continue the recent and positive development of our fantastic Olympic sport."

EBU Head of Indoor Sports Ingolfur Hannesson added: "This long-standing cooperation is driven by the excellent FILA organization their Championships and the recent multi-services approach of the EBU. This approach provides sports federations with a platform of continuous growth within the challenging and competitive marketplace of sports and media.

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About FILA
The first International Federation for the development of wrestling and weight lifting was created in Duisburg in 1905 by the Deutsche Athleten-Verband (DAV). The first International Wrestlers’ Union (Internationaler Ring Verband) was created on the eve of the Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912. It was decided that the first congress of the International Wrestlers’ Union would take place in Berlin in 1913. The congress in Berlin took place from June 5th to June 9th, 1913 and the delegates from the following countries participated: Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Hungary, Austria, Bohemia and Great Britain. The International Wrestlers’ Union became the International Union of Heavy Athletics (Internationaler Amateur Verband für Schwerathletik) and was responsible for the development of wrestling (Greco-Roman style), boxing, weightlifting, rope wrestling and weight throw. During the Antwerp Olympic Games in 1920, the IOC recommended the creation of independent federations for each sport. The International Amateur Wrestling Federation (IAWF) was thus created during the IOC Olympic Congress, in Lausanne, in 1921. In 1952, Roger Coulon was elected FILA President and renamed the Federation: International Federation of Amateur Wrestling during the congress in Tokyo in 1954. In 1994, FILA was renamed International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles after it broadened to other wrestling styles.

About the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
The EBU serves 74 Members in 56 countries in and around Europe. It represents its Members and promotes the values and distinctiveness of public service media in Europe and around the world. The Eurovision and Euroradio networks deliver news, sports, events and music to EBU Members and other media organizations. Services to Members range from legal advice, technical standardization and development to coproduction and exchange of quality European content.

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